St George Illawarra Dragons v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
ANZ Stadium, Olympic Park
Sunday, 4pm
Following a critical win over the Penrith Panthers last weekend, the finals equation is as simple as beating the Bulldogs for the Red V on Sunday afternoon.
Alas it's not a forgone conclusion considering the Bulldogs' tendency to lift against the Dragons.
The Dragons sit at ninth on the NRL Telstra Premiership ladder and require a win over the Bulldogs – thanks to their superior for-and-against (+89) – to secure a finals berth.
The Bulldogs could also be potentially boosted by the return of Josh Reynolds (calf) though Chase Stanley has been added into the equation in Brett Morris's (ribs) place.
The Dragons have had a slight reshuffle too with Josh Dugan (disciplinary issues) set to return in the centres. Kurt Mann will start at halfback while Josh McCrone returns to the interchange.
The Dragons will also celebrate Members Appreciation Round against the Bulldogs. You can read more about the activities and initiatives throughout ANZ Stadium on Sunday afternoon here.
Teams –
Dragons: 1. Matt Dufty, 2. Nene Macdonald, 3. Josh Dugan, 4. Tim Lafai, 5. Jason Nightingale, 6. Gareth Widdop (c), 7. Kurt Mann, 8. Leeson Ah Mau, 9. Cameron McInnes, 10. Paul Vaughan, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Joel Thompson, 13. Jack de Belin. Interchange: 14. Tariq Sims, 15. Hame Sele, 16. Blake Lawrie, 17. Josh McCrone, 18. Will Matthews, 19. Kalifa Faifai Loa, 20. Taane Milne, 21. Luciano Leilua.
Bulldogs: 1. William Hopoate, 2. Chase Stanley, 3. Josh Morris, 4. Brenko Lee, 5. Marcelo Montoya, 6. Matt Frawley, 7. Moses Mbye, 8. Aiden Tolman, 9. Michael Lichaa, 10. James Graham (c), 11. Josh Jackson, 12. Adam Elliot, 13. David Klemmer. Interchange: 14. Sam Kasiano, 15. Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 16. Danny Fualalo, 17. Francis Tualau, 19. Rhyse Martin, 20. Josh Reynolds, 22. Andy Saunders, 23. Kerrod Holland.
Key Match-Up: Josh Dugan v Josh Morris – Dugan will have a point to prove against former Dragon Morris this weekend. While the Bulldogs veteran's try-scoring and try assist numbers are ahead of his centre counterpart, Dugan has proven more dangerous in other aspects considering he's recorded 50 more tackle breaks and five line breaks more than Morris.
The History: Played 33; Dragons 11, Bulldogs 22. The Bulldogs have won 10 of their past 11 meetings against the Dragons dating back to the beginning of the 2012 season. They last met in Round 14 where the Bulldogs prevailed 16-2 in a dour Monday afternoon affair.
Match Officials: Referee: Ashley Klein. Assistant Referee: Chris Sutton. Sideline Officials: Chris Butler and Belinda Sleeman.
Televised: Channel Nine – Live coverage from 3:30pm; Fox League – Live coverage from 3:30pm
Radio: ABC, 2GB and Triple M
Social: Ensure you are across the Dragons' social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
